Article of this newspaper: Promote the green transformation of the whole chain of the tea industry with carbon footprint management
Product carbon footprint refers to the sum of carbon emissions generated by a product from raw material processing, transportation, production to factory sales. In November 2023, the National Development and Reform Commission and other five departments issued the "Opinions on Accelerating the Establishment of a Product Carbon Footprint Management System", marking the great importance and policy guidance of product carbon footprint management at the national level.
In recent years, China's tea industry has developed rapidly, with the output of wool tea accounting for about 50% of the world's output, the total national tea consumption exceeding 40% of the world's total tea consumption, and the tea export volume ranking second in the world and the export volume ranking first in the world. The total planting area of tea plantations in China is less than 2% of the total area of farmland, but the tea plantations N2Emissions account for 15% of China's total farmland emissions. The establishment of the tea carbon footprint management system is not only related to promoting the carbon emission reduction of the tea industry, but also gradually becoming an important means for countries to set up international green trade barriers and compete for the development space of the tea industry in the future.
Tea carbon footprint accounting is typically quantified in terms of a partial life cycle, i.e., cradle-to-gate. By accounting for the carbon footprint of tea products of 10 typical tea enterprises in Jiangsu, the author finds that the main stages affecting the carbon footprint of tea products are the production and transportation of agricultural inputs, processing processes, and the production and transportation of packaging materials. In the production and transportation of agricultural inputs, fertilizer production is the main contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for an average of 80.77% of the 10 enterprises. In the processing stage, electricity consumption and diesel consumption emissions are the main factors affecting greenhouse gas emissions, which together account for 80.97% of the total greenhouse gas emissions in the processing stage. In the production and transportation stage of packaging materials, the greenhouse gas emissions in the production process of packaging materials are far greater than those generated by the transportation of packaging materials. Paper packaging is the main source of greenhouse gas emissions from the production of packaging materials in tea enterprises, accounting for an average of 63.27%, followed by iron can production, accounting for 29.29%.
Compared with developed economies, China's product carbon footprint management started late, and there are problems such as imperfect product carbon footprint management system, imperfect method standards, and incomplete background database. The author believes that to promote the green transformation of the whole chain of the tea industry, we can start from the following four aspects.
The first is to strengthen policy support for tea carbon footprint management at the national level. Relevant state departments provide policy support in the formulation of laws and regulations, financial subsidies, green finance guidance, capacity building, certification system construction, and international standard integration. Promote the formulation of tea product carbon footprint accounting rules and standards, the construction of tea carbon footprint background database, the establishment of tea carbon label certification system, enrich the application scenarios of tea carbon footprint, and promote the international convergence and mutual recognition of tea carbon footprint, so as to drive the overall innovation and upgrading of the upstream and downstream of the tea industry chain.
The second is to strengthen the management of tea carbon footprint through the transformation of tea production technology. Guide the application of organic fertilizer in tea gardens to reduce emissions from agricultural input production and field N2o emissions, and at the same time promote the reduction of carbon sequestration in tea gardens. Companies with high processing emissions advocate the use of clean energy such as green electricity. Companies with high emissions from the production and transportation of packaging materials can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by increasing the capacity per unit of product, or reducing the weight of outer packaging, especially outer packaging and iron cans. All of the above measures can effectively reduce the carbon footprint of tea.
The third is to strengthen the talent capacity building of tea carbon footprint management. The competent departments of the industry and various regions organize and carry out training on the management of tea carbon footprint, guide industry associations, backbone enterprises, colleges and universities and social training institutions to play an active role, carry out training related to tea carbon footprint in a standardized and orderly manner, and improve the professional ability level of practitioners. Support tea carbon footprint accounting, certification, management, consulting and other service institutions to strengthen their own capacity building, and provide scientific, rigorous, systematic and standardized professional services for industry enterprises.
Fourth, increase the publicity and promotion of tea's carbon footprint. Combined with online and offline publicity methods, through electronic media, web portals and other publicity means to provide consumers with information on the carbon footprint of tea, to meet the needs of consumers to buy green and low-carbon tea products. On the one hand, it can stimulate the vitality of the downstream market and enhance the brand effect of industry enterprises, and on the other hand, it can force the green development and transformation of industry enterprises from the market side, incorporate the carbon footprint of tea into the future development plan, and fully combine the ecological value and economic value of tea products.
Author Affilications:Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment
